August 15, 2013

Name That Driver

What's in a Name?

Kyle Busch picked up his third win of the season on Sunday at
Watkins Glen, but this has been anything but a win or nothing
season for Rowdy, who currently sits fifth in points. (Getty)

So, it's been a while. Given that my true passion in life is writing, this has been a miserable couple months not having the collective juices to put fingers to keyboard. That being said, I'm back!

Let's get to it.

Given the Magic Mile Power Rankings are bit behind, I thought I'd use this time to put something together involving the top 20 drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series right now, entering this weekend's Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway. This is not necessarily a rehash of the standings, but rather a rundown of the top-20 drivers and one word (or two) that defines their week, month or season.

1. Jimmie "Boring" Johnson – It's the
ultimate compliment for the current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader.
With more wins, more top-10s and more laps led than anyone on tour, Johnson has
monotonously stamped his name as the favorite going into the Chase for the championship.
And higher praise there cannot be.

2. Clint “Steady” Bowyer
– The only thing keeping Bowyer from being talked about more in NASCAR
circles is the big goose egg in the win column. But that shouldn’t keep anyone
from thinking this guy doesn’t have a real shot (see Carl Edwards in 2011).

3. Carl “Shhh”
Edwards – Cousin Carl has been sneaky good this year, claiming seven
top-fives and a win, something he didn’t do once during his infamous 2011 run
against Tony Stewart. But, as he learned, it’s going to take at least one win to ensure himself his
first title.

4. Kevin “Surprising”
Harvick – Happy has shown to be more than just a driver simply checking off
laps during his last days in with Richard Childress Racing. With two wins
already under his belt, the future Stewart-Haas Motorsports pilot is making a
serious run at his first championship.

5. Kyle “Focused”
Busch – There just seems to be something different about Rowdy this season.
With 14 top-10s and three wins, it’s obvious that the kid hasn’t lost his drive
to lead every lap. But he seems to be genuinely concentrated on making sure he’s
in good position to make his first legitimate run (he’s never finished better
than fifth) at that elusive Cup championship.

6. Dale “Needs A Win”
Earnhardt Jr. – Not only would a victory for the No. 88 be good for the
sport, but it would all but assure his spot in the Chase. And with 12 top-10s
already this season, there’s no counting out NASCAR’s “Most Popular Driver.”
Then again, you have to be up front to win a title, and those 94 laps led leave
a bold question mark on his title hopes.

7. Matt “Slumping”
Kenseth – With three wins in his first 11 starts with Joe Gibbs Racing,
Kenseth looked to be rejuvenated a favorite to win his second championship.
Eleven races later, Kenseth has just two top-fives (one was a win at Kentucky)
and five finishes outside the top-20. His four wins will put him near the top
of the standings come Chase time, but how long will he stay there?

8. Brad “Rebound”
Keselowski – There was no one hotter than Bad Brad in 2012. And after
getting off to a super-hot start in 2013, Keselowski has looked very human over
the last half of the season. That being said, the Blue Deuce has finishes of
second, sixth, 21st and fourth in his last four races. That’s bad news for his
adversaries.

9. Greg “Hanging On”
Biffle – Every time it looks like the No. 16 Ford has raced himself out of
contention, he picks up a solid finish or, like was the case in June, he finds
victory lane. It’s likely going to take another win or a more consistent
presence in the top 10 for The Biff to make the playoffs, but if there’s anyone
who can get hot when it counts it might just be this guy.

10. Martin “Still Around”
Truex Jr. – Very similar to Biffle, Truex seems to do just enough to keep
himself inside the top 10. Truex has been sneaky good of late, however,
finishing 11th or better in five of his last eight races, which includes a win
at Sonoma.

11. Kurt “Faith”
Busch – It’s hard not to root for Busch, who is making a very real run at
becoming the first driver to lead a single-car team into the Chase for the
championship. A win would be huge at this point, but consistent top-10s like he
rolled off in the last nine weeks (he has six) could be enough to overcome his
absence from victory lane.

12. Kasey “Bad Luck”
Kahne – With two wins, it’s very unlikely KK will miss the Chase. But this
hasn’t exactly been a normal season for the No. 5 Chevrolet. Despite nine
top-10s, seven of those top-fives, Kahne has six finishes outside of 30th. And
while a vast majority of those poor finishes has been the result of some bad
luck, it still has to be a serious cause for concern entering the playoffs.

13. Jeff “Outside”
Gordon – It doesn’t look good for the four-time Cup champ. Sans victory
through the first 22 races, Gordon is going to have to get really hot to make
the playoffs. But the No. 24 Chevrolet was in even worse shape at this time
last year and somehow managed to make the Chase with a third at Bristol and
back-to-back runner-up finishes at Atlanta and Richmond.

14. Ryan “Speedy”
Newman – Tony Stewart’s loss might just be a huge gain for the Rocketman,
who is still without a ride for the 2013 season. A spot in the Chase could be
just the résumé builder he needs. And with a win and two more top-10s in this
last five starts, Newman may just have that opportunity in a few weeks.

15. Jamie “Streaky”
McMurray – With Juan Pablo Montoya on his way out the door, McDonald’s
McMurray is left to hold down the fort, and is realistically Ganassi’s lone
chance at a Chase spot. He does have the ability to get streaky, but with just
five top-10s all year it’s not likely the No. 1 Chevrolet will be a contender.

16. Joey “Confusing”
Logano – This is utterly confusing. His 11 top-10s is tied for fifth, yet
somehow Logano has managed to finish 35th or worse on four separate occasions. That’s
a complete no-no when it comes to being a Chase hopeful. But the good news is
that Logano has three straight top-10s, including an impressive seventh last
week at Watkins Glen.

17. Tony “All Done
Stewart – A broken leg in a sprint car race has left his chances a
championship up in smoke.

18. Aric “Almost”
Almirola – Another longshot to make the Chase at this point, Almirola has a
lot to be proud of this season. His five top-10s are a career-best, and his
fifth-place at the Magic Mile back in July was his best finish of the 2013
campaign. So, that’s something, right?

19. Paul “Sinking”
Menard – A strong start – four top-10s, including three straight, over the
first eight races – had many thinking (this writer included) that this was
finally going to be the year that the No. 27 found a spot in the Chase. He hasn’t
recorded another top-10 since.

20. Ricky “Zero”
Stenhouse Jr. – It’s almost inconceivable to believe that the rookie and
two-time defending Nationwide Series champion has yet to crack the top-10 even
once this season. That’s right, not a single top-10. #baffling #toogood

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Contributing Writers

Jonathan Stallsmith

Jonathan Stallsmith grew up in Hanover, NH, and upon graduation headed west to the University of Southern California. He got his start in professional sports with the San Francisco 49ers, before moving back east to join NHMS as the Digital Media Specialist.

Gavin Faretra

Gavin grew up in Bow, N.H., and attended St. Michael's College in Colchester, Vt., where he earned a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communications. Before joining the Magic Mile, Gavin worked for the Concord Monitor in nearby Concord, N.H., serving as the daily newspaper's sports writer and editor for more than seven years.